Record stores are probably having a tough time figuring out where
exactly to file Miri Ben-Ari's new album. Her first two releases "Sahara"
and "Temple of Beautiful" had a small but appreciative audience among
fans of this classically trained violin player. Being classically trained
doesn't mean you can't appreciate modern forms though. The Israeli Army
String Quartet and the Mannes School of Music may be where she paid her
dues, but none of her peers could have guessed she'd soon be jamming on
BET's 106 & Park. If you think you've seen or heard it all in hip-hop
get a tape of one of these performances. She stuns the crowd and viewers
at home alike by faithfully recreating famous hip-hop beats with her bow;
everything from Biggie to Jeru the Damaja. It was abundantly clear that
this was no ordinary violin player. Hers was a classical instrument for
a modern era - a symphonic string that could sing with street smarts.
Everybody from Kanye West to Jay-Z to Wyclef Jean was suddenly hot to put
the violinist on their tracks.

In a symphony musicians wear black to de-emphasize their own individuality
and keep the focus on the music as a whole - the composer of the piece comes
first. Ben-Ari couldn't be kept in the background though. 106 & Park
audiences were stunned by Ben-Ari's music AND her beauty. Tall and
frizzy haired, Ben-Ari looks more comfortable in blue jeans and Reeboks than
in any kind of formal attire, but could probably rock the catwalk as well
as any so-called supermodel. If basketball met classical and if hip-hop
met violin, Miri Ben-Ari would be the result. Ben-Ari's emergence onto the
scene was certainly no accident though. Quiet as kept hip-hop has shown
increasing love for classical music over the years. Some would say the
emergence of strings and winds in rap is simply due to the fact there's no
copyright on Beethoven or Mozart and therefore no issues with sample clearance
or royalties. On the other hand there's no disputing that when the shit
sounds good, keep right on doing it. Xzibit busted the door open with his
use of Fauré's "Pavane" on the crossover hit "Paparazzi" and the rap world
has never been the same since.

The stage has therefore been set perfectly. Hip-Hop listeners are open
to mixing the OLD SCHOOL with some new age beats and rhymes. Add
to that open-minded thinking a radiantly beautiful violin player who wields
her instrument like DJ Premier wields a pair of Technics and you have the
perfect opportunity to unleash "The Hip-Hop Violinist" on the world. An
alternate title for this album would have been "Miri Ben-Ari: The Duets."
Basically the concept is fifteen tracks of Ben-Ari working with her favorite
hip-hop and R&B artists; or maybe it would be fair to say that hip-hop
and R&B artists are working with their favorite musician. Either way
everybody contributing to the project seems to be at a high energy level.
Fatman Scoop and Vicious stomp through "Jump & Spread Out" while Ben-Ari
plays the hook and Baby Dooks provides an energetic pulsating beat. Akon
croons on and produces the soulful "Miss Melody," a violin-laced 2005 male
answer to "Killing Me Softly." Some of the collaborations seem so natural
you'd think she'd been working with them for years - Styles P on "We Gonna
Win" and Doug E. Fresh on their version of the "Star Spangled Banner" for
example. Others are a complete and pleasant surprise to everyone involved -
the amazing synergism of Ben-Ari with Cash Money's Baby and Lil Wayne on
"4 Flat Tires" or her soul-stirring "Sunshine to the Rain" duet with
Anthony Hamilton and Scarface:

"Psychologically, I deal with demons talkin in codes
Hopefully, I'll get to meet Jesus somewhere on this road
Sick of hearing people screaming in my head saying no
Better of if I was dead cause they killing me slow
All in all it's just a part of my life, watching the show
Ain't nothing never came to niggaz sleep, except for a dream
It's like a movie with the ending credits etched in the screen"

Even when Ben-Ari gets her shine on her own, she's still backed up by
beats that keep the vibe and give the title "The Hip-Hop Violinist"
credibility. That means even though you don't see any guest rappers
on "Chillin' in the Key of E," it's not hard to keep right on jammin'.
Miri Ben-Ari's album showcases an incredible diversity of sound and
style, made only moreso by the fact Ben-Ari seems able to adapt her
unique playing gifts to any style of rap from the Dirty South to the
East Coast Stomp. As much an experience as an album, "The Hip-Hop
Violinist" has to be considered one of the must-own albums of the year.
My only complaint is that in the end the guest artists, save for
Pharoahe Monch, are a little bit mainstream. I'd really enjoy hearing
what she could do if she collaborated with Ras Kass or MF Doom.